[Dice Chuckers] Why I'm Having Talented People Direct the Film

It's been a dream of mine to make a documentary about role playing games and gamers. Since I was a kid, I have thought that the representations of gamers in the mass media have been denigrating.  I think that Michelle Nephew, in the excerpt of her dissertation published in Gaming As Culture: Essays on Reality, Identity And Experience in Fantasy Games, captures the presentation of gamers perfectly when she writes:

[R]ole-players are problematic for the dominant culture, because...fans can't be dismissed as intellectually inferior...In reaction to this unresolveable circumstance, fan cultures are instead interpreted by the dominant culture as being brainless consumers, cultivators of worthless knowledge, who place inappropriate importance on devalued cultural material.  They are seen as social misfits, emotionally and intellectually immature, unable to separate fantasy from reality, and are feminized or desexualized as a result.

The dominant culture's attempts to feminize and desexualize participants in the RPG fan culture can be seen in the yearly media coverage of GenCon, the United States' largest role-playing convention.  Full-page color spreads of convention-goers dressed in medieval armor or as Klingons regularly decorated the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's City pages before the convention moved to Indianapolis in 2003.  Other photos showed awkward, aging boys with Dungeons & Dragons t-shirts stretched taut across their bellies, holding up their prized custom-painted fantasy miniatures for the camera.  Year after year, the media coverage of the event took a "look at the freaks" approach that did, indeed, portray male RPG fans as de-gendered, asexual, and impotent.

She doesn't mince words, does she?

This is exactly the kind of presentation that we don't want to do with Dice Chuckers.  Yes, we want to show gamers having fun and cutting loose at conventions like Gen Con.  Cos-Play can be a great way to enjoy one's self at a con, but it isn't the sole behavior of convention attendees nor are most Cos-Players infantile in their day to day lives. We want to show subjects who play role-playing games and for whom the playing of these games has been a benefit.  Whether as a creative outlet, a place of inspiration, or a place to make and keep life long friends, hobby gaming is a wonderful hobby and I want to share my love of that hobby.

Now...if I were to make a film about the hobby by myself, it might end up looking something like the "Support Dice Chuckers" video I put together using my iPhone.  You can watch it below...needless to say, there is a reason I will be working with Wes and other professionals.  The fact that I was unable to capture the sound properly -- due to background noise -- combined with the my classic Hong Kong style dubbing are proof that my skills lie in recruiting participants and not in filming them.

Please support our humble project.  We'd love to make the film, and to make one that will make the hobby proud.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #5

Have you ever introduced a child to gaming, or played a game with a young person? How is gaming with kids different than gaming with adults? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

This question strikes me as funny. I was a young person once(a long time ago, I know). And when I was young we were introduced to gaming by our parents. And with a little brother around I obviously played with " a young person" as a a young person(as a child I played games with other children).

I must of course interpret the question as: Since you became an adult, "have you ever introduced a child to gaming or played a gane with a young person?

Sure of course, I have. It is very different than playing games with adults. For one you have to watch your lanquage. No swearing in front of the impressionable youth. usually parents of kids don't want to have to explain bad words to their kids at a young age. One of my college friends and his younger siblings would come over to my house and play D&D as a family. I really had to alter the content of my usual game to account for the wide range of ages at the table. I also had to take time to explain the rules with a new mindset. it took a lot of patience. We played several sessions but never actually finished the campaign.

Reverb Gamers 2012 #4

Are you a "closet gamer?" Have you ever hidden the fact that you're a gamer from your co-workers, friends, family, or significant other? Why or why not? How did they react if they found out? (Courtesy of Atlas Games. Visit us at www.atlas-games.com)

Addendum: Do you know anyone who is? Would you ever "out" another gamer? via Twitter

No. Definitely not. It's my primary social network. At my day job I let everyone know that I'm a gamer. I may not wear distracting gamer attire but I let my words and actions communicate that "I am a Gamer". I had a co-worker who totally wore gaming shirts all the time. It was okay with the people at our work so I guess sometimes it's okay to let your gamer geek flag fly at work, it just wasn't for me.

As a a game designer it's in my interest to let people know about the hobby and to try to spread the word. How else will anyone know about my work and the awesome work of my friends and colleagues.

I've known a few people who like to play it off as if they don't game when we got socially, but I wouldn't out them. It's a personal thing. They shouldn't be embarrassed by their hobby but I understand it. Just like you shouldn't be embarrassed about anything that you genuinely are.